Christmas withdrawal

First things first! Isabelle turned 5 on the 22nd. She got a Leapster. We knew A might be a little jealous but coming from a place close to my heart I just have to allow the middle daughter the coveted video-gamish-eye-glazing-over toy.

Party time! Pajama party. Complete with cake beds. I try to copy the Parents Magazine photo spread but I really come up short. Probably because I am lazy and not too crafty. They definitely look like the kids made them and honestly- the kids couldn't make them this cool. You try melting airheads and stretching them! They don't stretch- they get harder. Parents mag lied. Make for a great teeth-pulling chew.


Sam with his lot from Santa. He didn't score much this year. Any money we saved from the gift budget went to me. Thanks Sammy!


The sweet 3 with their faux-American Girl dolls. Thanks Target. Anika exclaimed loudly that they are 100 dollars each! I didn't have it in my heart to tell the truth; it's Santa's business, not mine.


Presents from the girls: juggling balls, aluminum-foil wand, pretty art. I have to hand it to Olivia- she spent so much time the last several days decorating candy canes and neighbor gifts with abandoned ribbon and wrapping. I love her vision!

I know you're all dying to know what happened with Santa and my late request. I (kind of) feel bad to say it worked! It's not my fault! I'm blaming it on you commenters. Who wants to look stingy in front of you guys? Toast of my Martinelli's to you R! One day your stocking will have something better than Twix minis and Nu Skin products, I promise. Now I have to go feel sad Christmas is over. It came when I was not totally ready! I've got to have a plan for next year to draw the whole season out slower.

An appeal to Santa

Dear Santa,

I just wanted to let you know that I've changed my mind about something. Remember back when I said some things about leather not being compatible with motherhood? A long, long time ago? Well, my kids are much more clean now. I've stopped using my purse as a garbage bag for all the treats my kids get at the store and in public as I bribe them to stay happy for just 10 more minutes. And I'll be honest- I know I blame it on the kids because I can, but I'll try not to leave my bag laying around just anywhere. I won't put it on the car floor while kids walk on it with slushy shoes; I'll not carry a spill-proof sippy cup in my bag because somehow, some way those darn things always manage to leak. In other words, Santa, I'll protect this bag or this bag (might be asking much) with my life. And the watch...it's smart woman's jewelry. A decorative piece and a time-piece all in one! I've always been practical like that. How often does Fossil have sales on bags? (never) How often do they have sales on beautiful watches? (rarely) It's up to you, but this could be a good investment. I know I've been good.

A Believer always,
CC

P.S. I guess the watch is optional.

*Confidential* email from junkie husband

We got hot cocoa from my boss today. It had 4 candy canes in it.

I ate the 4 candy canes this morning.

I just ate a packet of hot cocoa powder because I wanted something sweet.

I don’t care where I get it. I just want it.

This is true desperation. And it's from the guy who owns a candy machine at work that dispenses M&M's and Hot Tamales with a twist of a key! Granted, they are a little stale, but free and easily accessible. Well, scratch that last part. They are in a different building. Who wants to have to exercise in order to get their fix?

Though I may mock and scoff and mock some more; truth be told, I married someone just like me. I remember a time of making my own string cheese with melted mozzarella and then reshaping it into a log (?!); melting chocolate chips with peanut butter to try and imitate Reese's, and mixing lots of sugar with a dry Kool-Aid packet to make homemade Pixie Stix, aka cavity inducers.

What have you done in a desperate moment to satiate those darn cravings?

Regression and Progression

I was excited that Samuel is finally old enough to play with some of our favorite toys. We love our dangerous Polly Pocket choking hazards! Sam is just there lovingly wetting the doll's hair with his tongue, like a mother cat to her kittens.


I know, I know...I let him eat the shoes and other fine accessories while I snap away..what kind of Mum am I? This experience is very reminiscent of the wood chips at the playground scenario. My philosophy is: let them eat and taste! Their mouth is working overtime to figure out textures and how all those salivary glands work. It's all a part of the learning process, guys. And I am excellent at swift removal of any non-food objects. I think I remove about 20 rug fuzzies from his mouth every day.


I wish I could be rejoicing as I say this: Olivia is finally taking a pacifier after 3 years! We tried over and over to give her the magical pacifier when she was a baby but she would not have it. We tried again at 1, then at 2, when she started abandoning naps (blamed it on no binky to lull her to sleep), and now that she is 3 and there is no point, she took one of Sammy's extras and has it in her mouth constantly. What do I do? (besides take it away from her- that is too obvious. Looking for creativity here!)

Quitting

Children's Book of the Month Club and Literary Guild. These are two book clubs that I've been an un-proud member of for 6-8 years, before I was an active eBay and amazon-ite. I got in with the "Get 8 Free Books" deal where after receiving those free books you're obligated to buy 3 books over a year's time and pay hideous amounts of shipping...you know the spiel. (Who hasn't been a member of BMG or Columbia House in their younger days?) I'm pretty good at not buying more than those requisite books, but of course the "gotcha" is when you occasionally forget to return your featured selection with the "no" checked in the box. Thus the book comes in the mail and you either have to annoy your mail carrier and try to convince them to return to sender, or you're stuck with a big bill and most likely a book you would not want to own (the ones you wouldn't mind accidentally receiving are always on the months you remember to check no!).

With the convenience of online web sites to decline the featured selections instead of using a stamp, after receiving the monthly catalog, I just head straight over to the computer and log on, taking care of business quickly as to avoid a package in the mail. How many years I have been doing this?? Has it really been over 6 years?! Yes. My obligations to the clubs are long gone. Why don't I just quit? A couple reasons:

1) They keep telling me that they are going to kick me out of the clubs if I don't buy something, and I don't! But they haven't kicked me out! Liars.
2) The cancellation process takes too much of my precious time. I spent a good amount of time a few years ago trying to quit. I thought I could just quit online. But those stinkers make you mail in a form requesting cancellation. That's a pain, but I can do that. However, then they make you include your account number, which is only located on those monthly mailers, which I toss as soon as I receive. So embarassingly, somehow I have not been able to remember to keep the mailers at the same time I remember I really want to carry through on this quitting thing.

But after writing this, I am vowing to quit this insanity. That is, if the address they have listed is actually valid!

What do you do automatically that is just unnecessary?

Thanksgiving education and a lot of rambling

I thought it would suit the big day coming up if I just recalled a few flashes of Thanksgivings past. I can't say that I've ever love-loved Thanksgiving until adulthood (okay, maybe a bit later) because I always thought it was just the holiday blocking the entrance of the better holiday: Christmas. Not to say I skipped being grateful all those years because of course I have always been very grateful for lots of stuff. I am also appreciative of the first settlers of this great country for being able to till the ground and make a livelihood despite the hardships...though I am a bit confused about the actual First Thanksgiving because the elementary school version always seemed like an animated children's story to me. It probably doesn't help that I picture snippets from Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving with Snoopy at the head of the long table either. So to help me and maybe somebody else, I did some research just a second ago and I realized some new things about Thanksgiving that you too may not have known.

• Thanksgiving lasted a week or so, with lots of meals indoors and out.
• They ate deer, duck, squash, cabbage, onions and corn.
• They had singing, dancing, shooting, blinds man's bluff!
• The Wampanoag tribe was who the Pilgrims dined with. Squanto was from that tribe.

So how cool are those things!? Who came up with turkey? Who came up with cranberry sauce? Pies? Changing from the week of meals to just one meal the size of one week's worth? There is more to this story we don't know. Who came up with the other half of the feast? I always thought Thanksgiving should have been Taco Bar and Hot Fudge Sundaes or something more interesting than potatoes, gravy,and somewhat unsettling mincemeat and browned banana cream pies. Now at least I can feel solace that my mental rejection of those foods is not a dis to our friendly pilgrim friends and their efforts with the fertile earth. As a pleasant sidenote, I do like stuffing-turkey-cranberry sauce-cheese sandwiches.

Back to my message. I really like Thanksgiving. It is a peaceful, reflective time of thankfulness preceding the rush of Christmas season. And Garfield's Thanksgiving is a must. It is a classic, so try to see that if you can. What else...before I make anyone else cry with this meaningful Thanksgiving Gratitude post I better sign off.

What is your thought on Thanksgiving 2008? Any traditions/foods that make the season for you? Anyone actually use a cornucopia?

Shopping, shopping, and more shopping?

If you know me at all, then you know I like to buy things. Whether it's the new scented Windex or fluffy new towels, I'm happy being a consumer. I don't know if it's the power of ownership or the simple knowledge that money is actually going somewhere instead of sitting there bored in the bank, whatever it is, I love it.

So Christmas is coming. My visiting teachers came over the other week and one of them was talking about how she liked to have all of her Christmas shopping done before December, so she could "relax and enjoy the season". Which for me, begs the question, isn't shopping part of the fun of the Christmas season???

The last couple of years I have started looking on amazon and other websites early as September for deals. I find them, I feel happy and prepared, but the problem is, THE DEALS NEVER END. So I keep on buying because how do you ignore a good deal? What about next year or a birthday? So that is one problem, not to mention the ever-changing Christmas lists of the children as the season goes on.

The other problem is not a problem. I like shopping at Christmas time, when others are out for the same reason. The rush, the Norman Rockwell feel in the air, the Christmas music (though I wish they wouldn't play it in early November!), the snow falling gently while driving on the slippery freeway....I love it all. I have even enjoyed the last minute doll shopping Christmas Eve at Shopko with slim pickins because that was festive, too. How cool to see empty shelves! Yay for Christmas!

So how do you feel? Would you rather not shop during the busy Christmas season? Are you done now? Any good deals you know of?